Carnival Cruise Ship Sails Into Belize With 27 COVID-19 Positive Cases

A cruise line in the Carnival Corp CCL fleet sailing from Galveston, Texas, has arrived in Belize with 27 individuals testing positive for COVID-19.

What Happened: The Carnival Vista ship arrived in Belize City on Aug. 11 with 2,895 guests and 1,441 crew members. According to the Belize Tourism Board, 99.8% of the ship's crew members and 96.5% of passengers were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to setting sail.

The positive cases involved 26 crew members and a passenger. The crew members who tested positive went into isolation. The Belize Tourism Board stated that all of those who tested positive were vaccinated and most were either asymptomatic or have very mild symptoms.

"With the stringent protocols, it is inevitable that COVID cases will be detected, but it is imperative that these situations are handled correctly to avoid further spread or unnecessary cancelations," said the Belize Tourism Board in a statement. "According to our local protocols, passengers will not be allowed to disembark if the total number of positive cases exceeds 2% of the ship's passengers."

The ship left Belize after a day in port and arrived in Cozumel on Aug. 12 without announcements of further outbreaks.

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What Else Happened: Earlier this month, Carnival enacted new policies requiring all vaccinated passengers to undergo pre-cruise testing and show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of embarkation. Everyone on the ships will need to wear masks in certain indoor areas of its cruise ships. These new policies will remain in effect through Oct. 31.

Guests who are unvaccinated will also be subject to pre-cruise testing and testing within 24 hours of debarkation on cruises of five days or longer. Unvaccinated guests approved for an exemption are charged $150 for testing and health screening costs, and those sailing on cruises departing from Florida and Texas will be required to show proof of insurance.

"These new requirements are being implemented to protect our guests and crew while on board, and to continue to provide confidence to our homeports and destinations that we are doing our part to support their efforts to protect public health and safety," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. "We expect these requirements will be temporary and appreciate the cooperation of our guests."

CCL Price Action: Carnival ended the trading day Friday at $22.86, down 2.14%. The stock's current price is sandwiched between a 52-week range of $12.11 and $31.52.

Photo: Courtesy Carnival Cruises.